Nigerian Football
Akwa Utd’s Ubong Wins VAT Wonder Goal Award
BY MFON PATRICK
Ubong Friday’s long range strike for Akwa United against ABS on Match day 21 was the toast of voters in the VAT Wonder Goal poll conducted from Thursday, June 1 to Sunday, June 4.
The Akwa United forward’s goal shook off a stiff competition from that of Godwin Obaje of FC Ifeanyiubah, the popular choice for voters on the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Twitter poll.
While 47 percent of the voters on the Twitter platform preferred Obaje’s goal in FC IfeanyiUbah’s defeat of Kano Pillars, Ubong secured 41 percent of the votes cast and Wilfred Ammeh of Niger Tornadoes had the remaining 12 percent.
However, a whopping 81.1 percent of the voters on the NPFL website (www.npfl.ng) favoured Ubong’s goal, Obaje had 12.4 percent of the voters while Ammeh had 6.5 percent.
A total of 337 voters participated through the NPFL Twitter handle while 635 voted on the website poll. The three goals were shortlisted from a total of 23 scored on the match day.
Obaje was the league’s leading scorer last season. Last season’s top scorer has scored nine league goals since joining FC Ifeanyiubah in a near deadline transfer at the start of the season.
Ubong’s goal shook the top end of the net and has been described as an effort in bravery and confidence.
He had seized the opportunity of his side’s sustained raid on the stubborn ABS defence, to caress the ball, setting it up for a thunderous rising right-footed attempt from over 30 metres that threw high the back end of the roof of the net.
For the player, the award will surely be a fillip to continue his rediscovery after being plagued by injury that sidelined him for most of the first stanza of the season.
The winner will receive N150, 000 half of which he is expected to contribute to a charity of his choice within the city where the club is based.
The VAT Wonder Goal Award is supported by the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) which is collaborating with the LMC to use matches of the NPFL to create awareness for the importance of regular tax payment by citizens.
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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